Ready for change?
Robert Dora
Issue date: 11/24/08 Section: Opinion
The election has come and gone, yet there is still a great deal of animosity between Obama and McCain supporters. Observing the election in hindsight, it's not difficult to see how the events unfolded. McCain and Obama fought a hard battle, but there were some fairly clear signs as to the outcome, long before the results were in.
Towards the end, the Republicans undertook an all-out smear campaign against Barack Obama. McCain was turned from a likable moderate into a hyper-conservative puppet describing policies much like the ones we've seen during the Bush campaign. This may have been the best way to become the Republican candidate but served as more of a hindrance than an aid during the actual election. The second major failing of the McCain campaign was the choice of Sarah Palin as a running-mate. At first she seemed like the perfect choice, however she proved to be the nails in the coffin of McCain's presidential dreams.
These decisions were designed to acquire different voter demographics, which was part of the problem. Voter acquisition is certainly a very important aspect of any politician's career, but the McCain campaign was based almost solely on this idea. If McCain had been true to the beliefs he'd expressed over the past few years, then he would have been much more likely to acquire the moderate voters and perhaps even swayed some of the voters that leaned slightly to the left. Instead, McCain lost the moderates and many Republicans that were somewhat close to the moderate-side. All of this was to secure the conservative vote; athough given a moderate McCain and a liberal Obama, nearly all of these people would have still gone with McCain, so the effort was all for naught. The inclusion of Palin would at first seem to acquire the female vote and play to a younger demographic. This would mirror Obama's choice of Biden, but in the end, she served only to turn the entire McCain campaign into a joke.
Finding flaws in the opposing candidate, is not a good reason to vote for someone. What makes Obama a good candidate? Thus far, he has shown voters that he believes in the views he expresses. Additionally, he listens to his supporters and those who oppose him. To understand the most important reason as to why Obama would benefit the country, it is best to look at the state of the economy. The stock market has taken a huge hit over the past year. Anyone that has a basic understanding of economics knows that if more people invest, the market does better, and when people pull out, it falls. Lack of faith in the government or the state of the world in general drives people to withdraw their funds. As such, the natural cure for such a condition is hope.
Towards the end, the Republicans undertook an all-out smear campaign against Barack Obama. McCain was turned from a likable moderate into a hyper-conservative puppet describing policies much like the ones we've seen during the Bush campaign. This may have been the best way to become the Republican candidate but served as more of a hindrance than an aid during the actual election. The second major failing of the McCain campaign was the choice of Sarah Palin as a running-mate. At first she seemed like the perfect choice, however she proved to be the nails in the coffin of McCain's presidential dreams.
These decisions were designed to acquire different voter demographics, which was part of the problem. Voter acquisition is certainly a very important aspect of any politician's career, but the McCain campaign was based almost solely on this idea. If McCain had been true to the beliefs he'd expressed over the past few years, then he would have been much more likely to acquire the moderate voters and perhaps even swayed some of the voters that leaned slightly to the left. Instead, McCain lost the moderates and many Republicans that were somewhat close to the moderate-side. All of this was to secure the conservative vote; athough given a moderate McCain and a liberal Obama, nearly all of these people would have still gone with McCain, so the effort was all for naught. The inclusion of Palin would at first seem to acquire the female vote and play to a younger demographic. This would mirror Obama's choice of Biden, but in the end, she served only to turn the entire McCain campaign into a joke.
Finding flaws in the opposing candidate, is not a good reason to vote for someone. What makes Obama a good candidate? Thus far, he has shown voters that he believes in the views he expresses. Additionally, he listens to his supporters and those who oppose him. To understand the most important reason as to why Obama would benefit the country, it is best to look at the state of the economy. The stock market has taken a huge hit over the past year. Anyone that has a basic understanding of economics knows that if more people invest, the market does better, and when people pull out, it falls. Lack of faith in the government or the state of the world in general drives people to withdraw their funds. As such, the natural cure for such a condition is hope.
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